Earth Science

Earth Science

Aquifers are defined as bodies of saturated rocks which allow easy flow of water. Ease of flow allows underground water to move through the rocks eventually saturating the rocks. However, not all types of rocks are suitable in this sense as water-bearing and permeable rocks. This demands for the appropriate application of geological studies in any region considered as having the potential of bearing usable aquifers.

When examining the geology of a given region for potential aquifers, there are two important characteristics to note; porosity and permeability of the existing rocks (Pinneker, Howard, & Harvey, 2010). Porosity simply refers to the amount of space between the rocks or soil particles. Good aquifers have large spaces or pores between the rocks. Porous rock types are able to hold more water within these spaces when compared to less porous rocks. On the other hand, permeability describes the ability of the rocks to allow for easy flow of water within the existing spaces. Highly permeable rocks enable water to be easily drawn from the aquifers. Also the rock minerals would be considered as this would determine the quality of water drawn from the aquifers. Proximity to the salty ocean or sea water is a factor that would be taken into account as this may lead to intrusion of salt water as outlined by Chiras (2010). Another important factor would be human settlements and their locality in relation to the potential aquifers; pressure exerted by the human population, buildings and infrastructure on the aquifer may lead to down warping of the region or even worse cause implosion with continual drawing of underground water. Human activities in the region, especially agriculture and industrial activities, would also pose potential pollution of ground water (Chiras, 2010).

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